W$W% 



■ ■ ■ . 



Kaupeepee 

An Idyll of Hawaii 



Rendered into Verse 
By 

Leopold Blackman 



Honolulu 
William C Lyon 









COPYRIGHT 



> 

31 



To My Wife 



HONOLULU 
THE MERCANTILE PRINTING COMPANY, 
1902 



Kaupeepee 



Introduction 



THE deeds, the valor of Kaupeepee — 
The bravest, noblest of a noble race — 
The story of his love, and how he won 
The gentle Hina: won and held her, till 
He, fighting manly, manly took the death: 
Fair Hina, she the splendor of the race 
That drew its life-spring from the gods of yore, 
Who spread, athwart the gloom of dreary flood, 
The fragrant islands of the Southern Sea. 



Kaupeepee 



FROM out the maze of the unnumbered isles, 
That, ever lulled by balmy springtime, sleep 
Upon the mighty sea that sternly thrusts 
The restless West from the lethargic East, 
Came Nanaula — offspring of the gods. 
Then were the days of mist: the days when great 
But nigh forgotten deeds of god and man 
Loom dimly in the first thin ray of dawn; 
Yet not less witness truth than shadows, traced 
By light of night's young crescent, truly limn 
The graceful fretting of the stately palm. 



A thousand and four hundred times has earth 
Drawn from the grateful sun her life anew, 
Since, guarded by the gods he bore, who lit 
Each night the beacon of the guiding star, 
And leashed th' elusive wind within his sail, 
Great Nanaula to Owhyhee came — 
The mighty founder of a race of men. 



So came he in that long grim barge, that built 
Of massive timbers closely joined and caulked, 
And, need be, might a hundred warriors hold, 
Had constant battled on through unkeeled seas 



Kaupeepee 

And grimly held her way; impatient cleft 

The long slow rollers with disdainful prow, 

Had met the reeling storm, and proudly hurled 

Its broken waters from her quivering deck, 

Exulting in her proof of mastery. 

Thus Nanaula came to Pele's isles, 

From the far islands of the incensed south. 



And with him were his wife, his stalwart sons, 
That towered above the height of mortal man, 
In godlike mien and perfect form that told 
Their wondrous source : the dreaded priests that owe 
Their mystic birth-right to the mystic three — 
Kane, the author of this wondrous frame; 
And Ku the mighty architect, whose skill 
Had wrought the perfect work; and Lono, he 
Who holds the winds and calls with rugged voice, 
And tends the nether fires that roar within 
The earth, and those on high that venging dart 
From out the sullen cloud: and last, but set 
In lesser mould, yet men of noble frame, 
Whose bronzed thews, when winds had slacked 

their aid, 
The ponderous cradle of their race had thrust 
Across the wave, the fathers of a nation 
Yet to be, are given upon the land. 



And here they dwell in simple need, and send 
A hardy race through all the isles, and fill 



Kaupeepee 

The land with food producing tree and root, 
— The gift of their first home — for ere that time, 
These isles which wanton in a wealth of flower, 
And palm, and cooling fruit, were well-nigh dry 
And empty; beating back the searing blaze 
Of da)^ with quivering breath, and desolate 
And barren from those flames that raged when 

earth's 
Wild travail hurled them from the troubled sea. 
Thus all the land was peopled, and each isle 
Became a chiefdom, and where'er were men 
Or holy ground, there temples to the gods 
Were piled, where mystic priesthood offered to 
The mystic three, and gods of lesser fame. 



And all the land was ruled by simple law, 
That all the land might know and all might 

keep; 
And since the chiefs and nobles were all men 
Of godlike race, around them and the priests, 
Whose source no man might know, to hold them 

from 
The common touch, was drawn the dread "Kapu," 
Whose laws all said: "Obey or die!" — Yet were 
These easy kept, and known to every man. 



And all the land was peace, or nearly peace, 
Save when, at times, was fought a hardy war; 
Yet were these not of lust, nor crafty waged, 



Kawpeepee 

Nor stained by cruel deed, but of that sort 
That bringeth forth the manly in the man, 
And breeds a manly race. 



And thus they dwelt, 
Till from that first were counted fifteen chiefs, 
When from those isles which yielded up this race, 
There came upon the sea a ruthless chief 
Of kindred blood, with many a hideous barge 
Of ruthless men. These, at the first by use 
Of wile and cunning tongue, got for them land; 
Then, as they grew, from over sea, to strength, 
Began a savage war; and now by craft 
And covert act, and now by open power 
Of bitter fight, possessed them of the isles 
Save Molokai, and here and there a land 
Of little worth, which power of caring god, 
Or might of doughty chief, or strength of place 
Withheld. 



And now, throughout a land, where late 
Was peace and simple law, was sent the wail 
Of broken people, harried by a foe 
That knew no ruth; until the wailing and 
The people both had ceased. Still were there left 
Those valiant ones of Molokai, and here 
And there a few that could not brook defeat; 
And through the isles the blood of that fierce 

horde 



Kaupeepee 

Of second men was nobled by the first, 
Who gave unwilling wives. 



Yet was this war 
Of slaughter hardly won; for many a j'ear 
That came with reeking blood and treachery, 
With treachery and reeking blood went out: 
And many a year those distant lands that gave 
A race its birth, doled to a race its death; 
For many a time the mournful sluggish heave 
Of that dark flood gave up a hideous barge 
Of madly howling death, and many a wind 
From over sea bore death upon a fleece 
Of soft white foam. Till, after that red day, 
There came, in part, an end to bitter strife. 



Yet was there never peace or rest within 
The isles, such as there was, but ever change, 
And war of wild revenge, which called revenge, 
That echoed black revenge, throughout the 

years. 
Nor was there now a code of simple rule 
That all might know and keep. Nor were the 

laws 
Of kapu those of reason, such as first; 
But chief and prince who now held cruel sway, 
Presuming on their godlike birth, enforced 
An irksome code of useless laws, that were 
But little understood, but broken paid 

13 



Kaupeepee 

With death. Nor were there now the simple gods, 
But unto these were added awful ones, 
Demanding fearful rites, that slaked their lust 
In blood of man, and scarce might be appeased. 



Now, Hakalanileo was of that 
Fierce blood that late had come from Kahiki, 
The seat of our first home. By whom was held, 
By right of might, Owhyhee's land that first 
Is heaved within the glowing dawn. And on 
A day came Uli over sea — Uli 
The augur, mystic prophetess — whose ken 
That looked far down the long drawn way of 

time, 
A sinuous barge had led unto that isle. 
With whom her daughter Hina, wondrous fair, 
Who, yet a child, foretold the glory of 
A perfect womanhood. To these, the due 
Of godly birth and mystic art, was given 
A place within the land. And on the day 
That Hakalanileo saw the child, 
He marvelling at her beauty, mused, and went 
His way: and Uli saw, and seeing read 
The day that was to come. And now the years 
Brought Hakalanileo once again 
To see the child, and musing at her grace 
He slowly passed: and Uli saw, and knew 
That day the sadness of the coming years. 

14 



Kaupeepee 

But Hina, all unmindful of the time, 
Rejoicing in mere life and youth, lived out 
The careless days; and learned the art of that 
Far time as fitted her high birth, and knew 
The water as the laud: the skill to poise 
Upon the curling wave, and fly upon 
Its crest that hurtles wildly to the shore. 



And now she trod the wonder-way that marks 
The passing of the maid, and trembling paused 
Upon the hallowed marge of womanhood. 
All beauty she. Her simple pa'u fell 
From waist to knee: nought else of dress. A lei 
Of bright red blossoms in her hair; and round 
Her throat the kapued golden plumes that tell 
Of noble birth. Her form, pure dignity: 
Of noble height, and stately as the grace 
Of coco palm against a crescent moon 
That hangs upon the silvered night. Her face, 
Pure loveliness. Her eyes, full large and dark, 
Glowed with the dawn of life. Her waving hair, 
Fine as the spider-web and black as night, 
Caressed the soft warm roundings of her form, 
And rippling draped her gleaming skin. Clean 

curved 
And full, her lips; yet not that fullness shown 
By baser blood, but such as tells of youth. 
Her voice, rich, clear, and soft, and full of trills 
And little runs of melody, as hold 
The ear entranced by their pure sweet tones, 

15 



Kaopeepee 

Unheedful of mere words. This Hina was. 
All beauty she, and in the radiant dawn 
Of perfect womanhood. 

And now again 
Came Hakalanileo back to see 
The maid, and loved; and straight to Uli said: 
" Give me thy Hina, for I would she be 
My bride." Then Uli, augur, sadly spake 
The evil she had seen that needs befall: 
" Not so; no bride for thee." Then once again: 
' ' No bride for thee. ' ' And peering down the long 
Drawn way of time, with darkened eyes: "I see 
The coming doom, that gives her not to thee." 
Then cried he proudty: " Nought is doom to me. 
Long have I loved. Thy doom I nothing fear, 
And therefore shall she be my bride." Then spake 
Weird Uli, mystically, in anger: " 'Shall'? 
Now hear me, for I say, though thrice thou be 
That chief thou art. For that one proud word 

'Shall,' 
Thus say the gods: ' This Hina shall be thine, 
And yet not thine, for soon the winds shall bear 
Her from thee, and thy years shall slowly wear, 
In weary search and helpless longing for 
The love thy prowess could not hold.' " 

Then once 
Again that chief: " Thy threats to love are vain. 
But fools are they who fear to take a prize, 

16 



Kaopeepee 

L,est they may some day lose. Not such am I, 

And Hina shall be mine, and I, with life, 

Will hold. Thy darkened threats to love are 

nought." 
Then she, the augur-prophetess replied: 
"Yea so. This Hina shall be thine. Yet shall 
The winds bear her away from thee. For strive 
Ye as ye may, the shadowed fate will come." 
Thus Hakalanileo bore away 
His bride, and proudly scorned the threatened 

doom. 



Now through the years the isle of Molokai 
Had held against that second race, by might 
Of right, and stood, alone among the isles, 
Unconquered, unafraid. Whose chief, now near 
The shadowed vale, drew life in line direct 
From that great one who first had keeled these 

seas. 
To whom two sons: the first born, he of song, 
Kaupeepee — noble, valiant, true. 
Now when he saw the land he loved beneath 
The heavy yoke of foe that knew no ruth, 
That ravened through the isles and had no sate, 
And swallowed all the increase, thus he spake: 



' ' Oh, brother! Long my heart has failed to see 
This desolation on our sister isles, 
— A prey unto a foe of kindred blood, 

17 



Kaupeepee 

That rapines without let. These lands, that once 
Were filled with simple people of our blood, 
Know them no more, but this fierce second 

throng 
Now lords the remnant with a heavy rule, 
And gluts its fearful greed — a hungry shark 
That tears the helpless flesh, and gulps the life 
And will not be appeased. I dry beneath 
A burning passion for a fierce revenge: 
My brain all madness, and my heart all dead 
To kindness, and the gentle ways of life. 



"This cruel foe has shown no pity, nor 
Has slacked its grasp, so will not I. Behold 
I dedicate my days unto revenge, 
And as a scourge will ravage all their coasts, 
And yield the land to wails, and blood, and 

death, 
And come upon this alien as a blight 
That blasts in league with darkness. Fear shall be 
On all the harried lands, and added to 
The fear of cruel death, shall be a fear 
That clutches at the heart, for none shall know 
The hand that smiteth. To this end I live; 
Nor shall there come an end until I cease. 
Thine is this people. Thine the birth-right. Yea 
I yield them both to thee. Look that thou keep 
Them sure. Fare-well. ' ' So spake that noble one 
Kaupeepee, and in silence passed. 



Kaupeepec 

Now on that side of Molokai that fronts 
The star that holds its constant place, the coast 
Is rugged, broken into bouldered capes, 
And angry foaming gulfs; and all the land 
Is wildly desolate. And there, a range 
Of rugged cliffs is found that thrusts into 
The sea, and lifts its ponderous bulk sheer from 
The surging seas that thunder deep below. 
A land of horror, sinister and wild, 
And boulder-strewn with rocks of awful form . 
A land all torn, and deeply scarred as from 
The fires that hurled them from the womb of 

earth. 
A land in shape a club, with haft unto 
The shore — grim threat of coming blood — broad 

out 
To sea and flat, and narrowing to the land, 
And all around a towering wall of rock. 
And on each side this hideous land of gloom, 
A gulf of raging sea, that roars between 
That first and other mighty bouldered piles. 
And on all sides are caverns, yawning wide 
Which suck the restless wave, and angry spue 
It forth in gleaming clouds of fleecy spray, 
That ever sudden shoot, and slowly fade 
Away against the blasted walls of cliff. 
And such Haupu's rock — the land of doom. 



And hither with a valiant few, all men 
That had a cause against the alien race, 

19 



Kaupeepce 

That chief Kaupeepee came. And here 
They built a heiau to the gods, and homes 
For wife and child, and piled a mighty wall 
Of massive rock across the narrow haft 
Of land, and hollowed long canoes, and hung 
Huge stones upon the beetling cliff, to hurl 
Upon the foe; and bode until their strength 
Were sure, and then the time was full. 



And now 
Was loosed upon the sleeping shore of all 
The isles, swift death enleagued with night, that 

held 
The coasts in fear. For swooping down beneath 
The dark, those vengers took a heavy toll 
Of spoil and bloody death. For many a maid 
Was borne away to see her home no more; 
And many a spear, with crimson life grew red, 
For love of very hate; and many a home 
Was put unto the torch, to pay a debt 
Of kind. And ere the veil of night was raised, 
Those gliding sombre barks put off upon 
The flood, and passed unseen into the night. 



And on a time, the coast of far Wahoo 
Was put to flame and spear, beneath the dark. 
But in the dawn, the fleeing clutch of long 
Canoes was seen — a dark and hideous school 
Of glutted sharks — held by the wind, near shore. 



Kaupeepee 

And then began a contest wild and fierce; 
For all that coast sent forth its sleuth canoes, 
And all its pride of men, who thrust the wave 
With strokes of bitter hate, and lust for blood. 
And all that day the race was sternly urged, 
And all that day defiant shrieks of war 
Were hurled and counter hurled from foe to foe; 
Till in the eve, the land of Molokai 
Was nearly reached — the avengers hard astern. 
And now that howling horde of alien men, 
With coming blood enflamed, have well-nigh 
Clutched. But this the god that keeps that sea 
Will not, and drapes a darkening mist around 
Those valiant ones, who fade into the gloom. 



Yet did not those fierce aliens slack their hand, 
But hasted unto him who swayed that land, 
— The aged sire of that unknown the3 r sought — 
With whom was peace, and cried: " This bloody 

scourge 
That blasts our lands is harbored in thine isle. 
Give us the way to seek, that we may sate 
Our lust." In bitter irony that chief: 
" Go search Haupu's rock for whom ye lust, 
And wreak such vengeance on him as ye list." 



Then to Haupu's seas the venging band 
And saw the little few that dwelt secure, 



Kaupeepee 

And thought not of attack. And straight re- 
turned, 
From whence they were, and came with eighty 

count 
Of sails, that glided on, until the land 
Of hate was made by night. Then, parting 

ways, 
The hostile fleets give silent for the gulfs 
That cut far in the riven shore beneath 
Haupu's hanging walls, and wait until the dawn. 
And now the east is pale, and putting for 
The sleeping land, those serried lines of war 
Are caught upon a mighty tide, and hurled 
Far up the little beach of soft white sand 
That heads each gulf between the jaws of rock. 

And now they leap upon the narrow beach, 
And haste to draw their vessels from the wave, 
And run now here, now there, to find a way 
Above, and gaze amazed at the cliffs 
That overhang the narrow shore. And now 
They pause, awed by the dreadful silence of 
The place, held by the spell of coming doom. 
And even as they stand irresolute, 
The horrid roar that crashes through the cloud 
When gods are wroth, brake forth, and all the 

lines 
Of cliff that touch upon the sky, descend, 
And cast them to the earth, and hurl, in ire, 
Their battered corpses to the hungry sea. 



Kaupeepee 

Yet did a few, of whom their chief, escape 
Within the battered barks, to tell the rage 
Of those fierce gods that keep Haupu sure. 
And thus, their lust appeased, they got them 

back 
From whence they were. 



Now when the aged chief 
Of Molokai heard how that few had flung 
The aliens back to sea, he sent, by stealth, 
For then was outward peace betwixt the isles, 
A cloak wrought of the golden plumage of 
The sacred bird that dread kapu but grants 
To chiefs — a cloak of priceless worth, 
That twice one hundred years scarce yielded up 
The tale of golden plumes. And that same day 
The sea gave up a ponderous barge by night, 
Wrung from a sea-borne bole — the mightiest of 
The isles — with well upon a hundred men 
And all their gear of war. 



And this huge gift 
Of sire to son, Kaupeepee stains 
All red: from mast to keel one red. And, in 
This scarlet bark of death, sweeps all the seas 
That wash those isles; and at the topmost spar 
A proud kahili flaunts of crimson hue, 
That all the coasts may know and trembling fear. 

23 



Kaupeepee 

And now Haupu fills her homes with spoil 
Of untold worth, wrung from the foe. Bright mats 
Of richest dye, and kapa, soft and fine 
As valley mist that melts before the dawn. 
Huge calabashes of rare wood of rich 
Design, and ornaments of ivory 
And shell, rough carved with cunning skill. 

And store 
Of feathered helms and capes, bright red, and gold, 
And green, that tell, each one, how fell the head 
Of some old noble line. 



And when that long 
Red death thrust back its scarlet prow to land, 
Deep down with spoil, Moaalii, he 
The fierce shark-god of Molokai, whose veil 
Of dark had snatched them from the closing foe, 
Whose hideous mighty bulk, all draped with 

bright 
And fragrant leis of bloom glared out above 
The cliff, was first done sacrifice. And all 
The land was given to feast, and dance, and song. 



Now Hina, bride of six sweet years, was come 
Unto the perfect day of womanhood. 
All glory she, mysterious, beautiful. 
And through the isles her fame was sung, and 

passed 
To Molokai, and thus, at length, to great 

24 



Kaupeepee 

Kaupeepee. Now when he, the first 

And mightiest of that distant day, had heard 

Of her, the fairest of that hated race, 

He straight bethought him of his bitter hate. 



Then that red barge was filled with proven men, 
And store of war, and food for many days, 
And glided from its haven in the rocks, 
And two days after, came by night and hid 
Unseen within a little rift that cleaves 
The cliffs of Owhyhee. From there, in stealth, 
Kaupeepee came by land alone, 
Unto the place of Hina, she of song. 
And, wondering at the splendor of her grace, 
Unto his hate was added love. Sweet love 
And bitter hate: these two that wrought the doom 
That Uli knew. 



And now the silver orb 
Was growing to the full, and hallowed all 
The land. A glory was on wave, and palm, 
And shore. The incense of the fragrant air, 
The wearied moaning of the distant reef, 
The grace of palm, and hill, and curling wave, 
Was all a land of mystery. 

Through palm 
And blossomed shrub comes Hina with her maids. 
Awhile she pauses on the yielding sand, 

25 



Kaupeepee 

Then backward throws her shapely head, and 

shows 
The perfect lines of throat and neck. Then lift 
Her graceful arms, and shake upon the wind 
Her pride of glossy hair. Now slowly glides 
The all reluctant pa'u from her waist, 
And forth she steps beneath the mystic light, 
— The wondrous goddess of the wondrous place. 



The foam receives them in its soft embrace, 
And curls around their gleaming limbs. With 

laugh, 
And joyous cry. they cleave the rolling wave 
And ride its toppling billow to the shore. 



But all unseen, for many a night that moon, 
A shadow, sinister and black, lies close 
Upon the sea, beneath a jutting ridge 
Of bouldered rock, and patient waits the sign 
That jealous treachery will give. For she 
Who first, ere Hina came, was only bride, 
Will show a flame thrice dipped. 



Six nights the barge 
Has sought the shore, and six times stood for sea 
At dawn. But now, behold! the looked for sign: 
A flaming torch thrice dipped! 

26 



Kaupeepee 

Then lo! from out 
The shadow glides a slender long canoe 
That paddles softly close within the reef. 
And now it nears the laughing maids unseen; 
And, yet unseen, it hovers near, just as 
The sea bird poises motionless or e'er 
It swoops. Then, with a sudden lusty heave, 
It throws aside the wave and shoreward springs 
Toward the thoughtless prey. 



A wild alarm 
Of frenzied flight shrieks on the quiet night, 
As that dark unknown shape, half hidden in 
Its whirling spouts of foam, hurls madly in 
Theirmidst. With loud exultant yells fierce hands 
Clutch swiftly on the frantic prey, and tear 
The shrieking Hiua from the wave. Then with 
A lunge the land is left behind, the long 
Canoe sweeps out beyond the moaning reef, 
Where, looming out to sea, that huge red bark 
Of Molokai! 



But, on the fading shore 
A dreadful din of horrid drums clangs out 
Upon the frightened night; and cries and wails 
Are hurled in vain across the wild of sea, 
That listens carelessly unto their woes 
And still roars on in cruel mockery. 
And fires blaze forth, and burning lights that flit 

27 



Kaupeepec 

Among the palms, until the fleeing land 
Leaves all around the barge a raging wild 
Of sea. 



Two days are gone, and Hina lies, 
All misery and dull despair, within 
The home of that remorseless scourge between 
Whom and her race there burns undying hate 



Within a room that glows with soft clear light 
Of the kukui nut, she weeps alone. 
All the rich booty of that early day 
Was there, torn with red hand and ruthless strife 
From each reluctant isle. The walls are draped 
With precious mats of costly dye, and hung 
With pendent leis of shell and polished nut. 
The massive beams that show above loom out 
In the dim light, bright stained with pleasing hue. 
Placed next the wall a couch, thick-strewn with 

sweet 
Sea grass, and rarest kapa, soft as foam 
And fragrant with the breath of manj T blooms. 
Upon the floor, thick mats; and through the room 
Are many graceful ornaments of shell 
And ivory, and calabashes of 
Rare woods; and drinking cups, and vessels 

carved 
In stone and wood, and priceless feather work, 
That tell of many a wrong throughout the isles. 

28 



Kaopeepee 

And as she weeps, uneomfbrted, alone 
There comes the fall of feet, the hanging shakes 
Along the wall, its heavy folds are drawn, 
And lo! Kaupeepee! 

Iyow she lies, 
Her form pressed to the couch, all misery 
He pauses, held before her grief in awe 
And then: « o Hina, weep not thus. My heart 
Is torn to see thee lie so sad. I love 

Forget, and some day » Up she 

in wrath 
And, pouringforthfierce thoughts, confronted him. 

"Notthat! Thou hated man of blood! Not that' 
Or liberty or death. I hate thee! Thou' 
Whose hands but now are crimsoned with the life 
Of all these isles! Nay, give me death; for well 
I know that never will thy hated hand 
Unclasp its hungry grip. Yea, give me death! 
Oh how I hate; the fury of my hate 
Will rend me. Couldst thou know the depth of all 
My loathing, thou wouldst, woman though I be 
In fury smite me-thou that art no man! " 

^ She spake, and once again she sank. Then he- 
O Hina, well I know that thy great grief 
Not thou thyself, doth speak. Bear with me yet 
Awhile, and I will briefly show thee all 
My heart. 



29 



Kaopeepec 

" Thou knowest how these isles were once 
But peopled with my blood, that dwelt secure. 
Then came this alien line, who with slow craft 
And cruel war have ravished all the land, 
And broken all my people, save a few 
That dwell in scattered lands of little worth. 
All this, while yet a child, I saw, and held 
Within my heart red hate. And when the time 
Was near that I should rule, I yielded up 
My due of birth, the chiefly office and 
The people for revenge. And all these years 
Of blood have been but to repay in kind. 
And when I heard of thee and all thy pride 
Of matchless beauty, forth I came to fill 
Revenge. 



" I came to thee in hate, but now, 
Behold, I come in love. O Hina, dost 
Thou think that I, who took my life to gain 
A prize, will give it lightly up? And shall 
I when my hate and love both bid me keep? 
Beloved, dost not thou, too, know, not chance 
Hath met us twain? No common man am I: 
No common woman thou. The gods all will 
We love, and Hina be it so." 



He paused, 
And through the room was silence, save the low 
Dull moaning from the couch, and voices of 

30 



Kaupeepee 

The restless wind without. And slow time 

stayed, 
Yet they two were unmoved, until at length 
The moaning sank and feebly passed away. 
And when the wasting flame was casting black 
And wierdly dancing shapes along the floor, 
She looked, and saw indeed no common man. 
His mighty manhood towered aloft, and in 
The failing light she traced the massive thews 
And godlike mouldings of his perfect form. 
And, in his noble brow, she read nought else 
But majesty and godly manliness. 
Then, in her inmost heart, she knew the gods 
Would have it so. 



But on the night the winds 
Bore Hina far away, and wrought the doom 
That Uli knew to be, confusion raged. 
As, when the hive is spoiled its sweetness, fierce 
Excitement swells aloud, and blindly drives, 
From out the plundered home the raging hordes 
That whirl themselves in burning fury to 
And fro, enraged at all the world, in vain. 



So on the coast of Owhyhee, the fierce 
Loud cry for vengeance went aloft, and wild 
Dishevelled women ranged the dark, and sent 
The weird long moan of wailing through the 
night; 

31 



Kaupeepee 

And men put forth in haste along the coast, 
And by the paling moon, that leagued with 

wrong, 
Groped vainly through the gorges of the cliffs. 



And Hakalanileo, he whose pride 
Had nothing feared the coming doom, and 

scorned 
Impending fate, raged through the night, aflame 
With useless fury, mad with hate, and torn 
With longing for the love his prowess could 
Not hold. So raged he on till dawn was near, 
To little purpose, purposeless — enraged 
With grief. Then, with the light, began a quest 
Throughout the isle that left no place un- 

searched; 
And after many days, came to his home 
All broken with despair. 



Then cried he to 
Dark Uli: " Woman, ye whose sight sees 

through 
The coming years, reveal me where to seek 
Her whom I mourn!" Then Uli, auguress, 
Replied: " The end is hidden from me; for 
To see were to reveal, and thwart the doom. 
Long have I gazed upon the time to come, 
But only this is mine to say: ' She, whom 
Ye seek, doth live, and when the gods shall will, 

32 



Kaupeepee 

The winds shall bear her back again. Than this, 
All else is darkness.' " 



Then in sorrow went 
Great Hakalanileo back, and with 
A band of proof, passed over all the isles, 
And came to every chief and told the wrong, 
And his great sorrow got him aid. And when 
He came to temple, there, if so he might 
Appease the angry gods whom he had scorned, 
He sacrificed and offered priceless gifts 
In vain. And every ancient one that traced 
The destiny of man among the stars 
Was asked in vain. For all was darkened. 

Thus 
At length, he got him back, despairing of 
His search of two long years. 



Then for a time 
He lived in weariness, until his grief 
That would not die, drave him in madness forth 
Through all the isles again, till once again 
His fury spent itself in part, to grow 
Anew into a goad to drive him out 
Once more. And thus were slowly wasted, on 
A score of years, until, before its time, 
The snow was on his brow, and all his strength, 
Save that of love and hate, was well-nigh spent. 

33 



Kaupeepee 

Now all these years the sons of Hina came 
To manhood. Kana first of birth, a man 
Of art and strategy, whose towering bulk 
Stood great among the mighty race of chiefs; 
And bold Niheu, a man of valiant deed, 
Whose massive thews had held the furious tide 
On many a stubborn day. 



And year by year, 
As Uli told the wrong, these vowed their lives 
Unto revenge, and lived for this one end. 
And Uli, ancient augur, through the years, 
With awful rite and incantation fell, 
Each god invoked in vain. For time was not 
Fulfilled, and all was dark. 



Till on a day, 
The brothers came anew to vow revenge 
To Uli, and to hear pronounced the spell 
That venomed their black hate. And as she 

called 
On every god, behold a rigor seized 
Her frame, and thus she stood with out-stretched 

arm 
And shaded eyes, that looked far down the long 
Drawn misty way, and cried: "The veil has 

passed ! 
Behold, on fell Haupu's rock, her whom 
Ye seek!" So spake and foaming fell. 

34 



Kau 



peepee 



Then came 
Those two fierce men unto their aged sire, 
Great Hakalanileo, crying both: 
" The darkened veil has lifted, and behold 
Haupu's walls, thy wife our mother, hold," 
Then he: "Not so. For three years since I came 
To that red scourge, Kaupeepee, who, 
My wrong delivered, straightway offered aid, 
And threw his stronghold open to me, if 
So be I wished to view. Yet did not I, 
Believing in the very frankness of 
The man." 



Then spake Niheu: " Look ye for truth 
From him whose every act unto his race 
Hath been but blood and cruelty ? Despite 
This very frankness is she there. And we 
Will tear this haughty bird from his foul nest, 
And fling his hated brood to feed the sea, 
And sate the altars of our gods." 



Then spake 
Great Hakalanileo: "Do your will. 
The people and the land are yours in this; 
Yet bide I here. Yours be the battle and 
The victory be yours. The flood of time 
Has gone well-nigh above me, and my days 
Are almost told. Yet shall I not go hence 
Until my Hina come. Go ye and bring." 

35 



Kaopeepee 

Then went the word of battle through the land, 
And every chief within the group that had 
A cause against the foe, was straightway bid, 
So be revenge were good, come sate his lust. 
Then sudden expedition seized the isles, 
And through the scattered coasts was heard, by 

night 
And day, the murmur of the coming war. 
And spears of wondrous size were shaped, in length 
Three men, and clubs of stone wrung from the rock, 
And endless count of smooth-ground stones to sling 
Upon the foe; and fleet canoes were wrought 
In haste from boles of mighty bulk, that, borne 
From unknown worlds, the welcome sea made gift; 
And massive barks of two-fold length were shaped, 
To right the wrong of thirty savage years. 



And now the mighty force, with all its store 
Of war, is met and ready to embark, 
But first the awful gods must be invoked, 
And many struggling victims sacrificed 
With cruel rite, until they be appeased. 
Then in the dawn the fleet of war, that counts 
Upon twelve hundred barks, and darkens all 
The sea, puts out from Owhyhee to make 
The southern shore of Molokai, for there 
The succors from the isles of far Wahoo, 
And Maui, and the scattered lands that bear 
The scar of that red brand of Molokai, 
Are met. 

36 



Kaupeepee 

And in the van is Uli — she 
Who told of coming doom and leads revenge. 
High on the deck of a long bark that breaks 
The wave with stern twin prow, she sits and peers 
With eager eye far down the way of time. 
Her wasted form is bent beneath the flow 
Of untold 5^ears, whose many lines cut deep 
The haggard face. Her hair blows loose upon 
The wind — a cloud of whitest foam that throws 
About the brow of some black time seared rock 
Of Molokai. A withered arm is raised 
About the dimming eye, to clear the way 
Of fate. And all around are mystic charms 
That rule the days of man, and images 
Of hideous shape, whose awful lust will be 
Appeased with curs'd Haupu's blood. Upon 
A hearth of stone and earth, there blazes at 
Her feet, the fire, that never may be quenched 
Until the end of savage doom be come, 
Which throws weird odors to the air in clouds 
Of heavy smoke. 



Next come, in ponderous bark 
That cleaves the rolling wave beneath the thrust 
Of two long lines of blades, the sons of Hina. 
On their brows rich helmets blaze beneath 
The sun, all golden with the sacred plumes. 
And on their stalwart shoulders priceless cloaks 
Of downy feather work, that fall beneath 
The knee, all gorgeous with the dazzling sheen 

37 



Kaupeepee 

Of black and crimson plumes. And far aloft 
Is flung a blood red pennon to the wind 
That the fell land may know. 



And last the long 
Extended fleet of war canoes sweeps on, 
As drives the pall cast by the scudding cloud 
Athwart a sunlit plain. The dip of twice 
Ten thousand blades throws back the morning sun, 
And far above, in pompous pride, swells out 
The bright expanse of nigh a thousand mats 
To leash the northern wind. 



Thus all that day 
The coming war thrusts sternly on towards 
The land of hate; and now the garish orb 
Of day glides down within the rugged clouds 
That hang above the distant rim of sea, 
Until calm night enfolds the grateful world, 
And darkness slowly deepens, and the barks 
But loom as phantoms gliding through the night. 
When lo! from out the trembling west, there glows 
A wondrous light, which creeping gently o'er 
The face of night, with faintest crimson lines 
The fleecy clouds, until at length it tints 
The distant east. And brighter grows the night, 
Until the silvered clouds are all aglow 
With softest crimson in a burnished sky, 
And all the west is but one ruddy gold. 

38 



Kaupeepee 

Then, with a sudden cry, there springs athwart 
The gorgeous night a gaunt black form with hair 
Upon the wind and withered arms upraised 
Unto the skies, that cries the end of doom. 

" Haupu! thou accursed land of hate! 

Thy cruelties recoil upon thee, and 

Behold, the brand is lighting! Land of woe, 

That liftest thy proud head into the skies, 

And vauntest in thy length of savage deeds, 

Thy day of pride is setting in a west 

Of universal red; and after that, 

Chill night, the fear and silence of the place 

Of death, shall compass thee for evermore. 

" And thou, Kaupeepee, whose vile tongue 
Could fawn in falsest friendship on the man 
That thou hadst wronged, whose savage bark 

has left 
A trail of blood through all the seas, behold! 
By these dark rites, I wreak thy final doom! 
And all thy people done to death by spear 
And flame, I give thee to the will of these 
Fierce men whom thy red hand hast wronged. 

Yet is 
My perfect hate unsatisfied, for still 
Will I pursue thee to that place where thou 
Shalt pass from hence, and in the depths of Po, 
Shall come upon thee my fierce power to hound 
Thee evermore." 

39 



Kaupeepee 

She paused, and on the fire 
That smouldered at her feet, she threw a dust. 
And now the hungry flames leap to the height 
Around her hands, to sink and hissing rise 
As those gaunt talons swiftly lift and fall. 
And ever as she gave the awful rite, 
A fearful incantation fell in that 
Weird tongue of the first time, which none but she 
Could frame, whose telling loosed the joints of all 
That heard with fear. 



And from the fading sky 
The glory slowly passed, and darkness fell; 
And through the air there went the chilly touch 
Of night. And all the wild of sluggish sea 
Was silent, save the lapping of the wave 
And tapping of the cords above. 



Now when 
Kaupeepee heard the bruit of war 
To come, he knew the time of final fight. 
And passed unto that chief who late had come 
Unto the sway of Molokai, to whom 
Himself had rendered right of birth, and said: 
"Oh brother, the full tide of blood of all 
These savage years flows back upon my land. 
A mighty host of war, from all the lands 
That know my hand, is soon to put to sea. 

40 



Kaupeepee 

" And now I know my day is come, for this 
The gods have told. Yet would I leave unto 
Our kin, untouched, this isle of Molokai: 
The heritage of our long line of sires. 
Now therefore, brother, since this foe may not 
Be stayed, make thou a league with them and give 
Them passage to Haupu's land through thine. 
So shall this land be left unto our seed 
Unscathed, and so revenge shall light on me 
Alone. 



' ' But now I know we never more 
Shall meet, for I go hence. Yet fear I not, 
For ever have I seen this day. But e'er 
That time, shall be a fight, such as there ne'er 
Has been in days of man. Then shalt thou hear 
How I, Kaupeepee, fell. Farewell." 
So spake and slowly passed. 



Meanwhile the strength 
Of all the distant coasts is come to land. 
Two thousand barks well forth their men — a 

swarm 
Of flies attracted by the coming death. 
And now is sent to him who swayed that land 
To give them passage to the foe; which straight 
Is granted. Then the host, that night encamps 
Upon the shore; and Kana, he who leads 
The sea, next morn puts from the land and rounds 

41 



Kaupeepee 

The isle with half a thousand war canoes. 
And fierce Niheu, across the rugged isle, 
Leads his wild hordes of aliens, till the dawn 
Shows him upon the summit of the hills 
That close Haupu in; and, looking down, 
He sees the long black line of Kana's barks 
Stretched wide, a mighty arch, far out to sea 
Around the land of hate. 



And one brought word, 
In fear, about the morning watch, to brave 
Kaupeepee that the hills and seas 
Are black with war, to whom he smiling said: 
' ' So shall our spears not miss! " But when 
He saw the mighty force on land and water, 
Kaupeepee knew the day of doom 
Was near. 



And, looking down from out 
The hills, dark Uli knew the day of doom 
Was come, and standing on a riven pile 
Of rock against the sky, she fiercely raised 
Her haggard arms and wildly cursed 
The foe. 



Meanwhile, that chief Niheu, has sent 
To brave Kaupeepee, the demand, 
His mother, Hina, straight be yielded up. 

42 



Kaupeepee 

To whom that noble one replied: " Come thou. 
With all thy hungry horde, and take!" 



Then, with 
A countless band of warriors, fierce Niheu 
Descended from the hills and threatened all 
Haupu's rear, and wildly ranged around 
The walls, and harassed all the line of war 
In petty fight, if so he might distract 
The foe from sea. 



But all that morn, the war 
That Kana leads has bided silent on 
The watch; and now it flings, upon a wave 
Of monstrous bulk, far up the surging gorge. 
Then, dashing through the foam, the shore is 

gained. 
With wild triumphant yell, the feeble few 
Who guard the long canoes and bar the way, 
Go under in the frenzied rush. And now 
The valued barks are reached, and with huge 

rocks 
And ruthless clubs their fragile sides are crushed. 
And on the dreaded barge, whose hated keel 
Has reddened every sea, the raging foe 
Dash wildly in their frantic hate, and hack 
Its ruddy thwarts with axe and club. But now, 
While yet the flood of blind revenge holds them 
Forgetful of the foe, the rocks above 

43 



Kaupeepee 

Descend upon them as they rage beneath, 
And all along that frowning blackened cliff, 
The earth is torn and trembles with the weight 
Of falling death; and all the gorge is choked 
With blinding dust which slowly clears. Then 

down 
The rocky way, with spear, and club, an axe, 
Kaupeepee hurls upon the foe. 



And now the troubled waters of the gulch 
Are crimsoned with the life of shattered men, 
And closely packed with hideous forms, that toss 
In awful helplessness upon its waves, 
And turn, with every heaving of the sea, 
Their limbs and staring faces to the day. 
And, struggling wildly in the crimson foam, 
The remnant seek to right the barks that have 
Escaped the general wreck, while raving on 
Their flanks Kaupeepee hangs with his 
Fierce maddened horde, who club, and hack, and 

thrust, 
Their cruel weapons in the struggling flesh. 



But Kana, he who led the fatal day, 
Strove valiantly, like to a god, and held 
His panicked men, and raged among the foe 
With dreadful carnage. Whom he crossed, he slew. 
And fain would he Kaupeepee meet, 
But gods will not, for ever as the sway 

44 



Kaopeepee 

Of battle brought them nigh, the heavy tide 
Of execution stayed their feet and held. 



At length the sated slayers slowly tire, 
And Kana, towering far above, withdraws 
His broken few within the shattered barks, 
And so regains the sea, with deed of might 
That holds the foe appalled. From thence he tears 
Vast boulders from the bed of sea, and hurls 
Them fiercely on the thwarted foe. And he, 
Kaupeepee, saw and cried amazed 
With admiration: "This is Kana! I 
Have heard of him. I^o, he too is a man! " 

Then went the savage band with reddened signs 
Of war, among the heaps of vanquished foe, 
And such as yet had life received the axe 
And spear. Yet were the few less scathed reserved 
To fill the waiting altars of the gods. 
And, thus adorned with gore and struggling prey, 
Haupu's walls received them back. And all 
That night was crimsoned with triumphant fires; 
And frenzied joy and fierce defiance passed 
Upon the winds, to tell the host without, 
What welcome waited such as came unlooked 
To grim Haupu's rock. 

Meanwhile the camp 
Of the enleagued chiefs was wildly moved 

45 



Kaupeepee 

With madness of revenge. For that stern fight 
Three thousand men of proof had left upon 
The rocks; and all that day the foe was seen 
To feed the bruised corpses to the sea. 
Yet was their purpose firmly held to wipe 
The scourge away. 



And Uli goaded them 
To frenzy with fierce taunts, and offered up 
The rites of blood, and traced the awful signs, 
And in that weird lost tongue invoked the gods, 
And wildly shrieked the end of doom. 

Then spake 
The leader of the land, that chief Niheu: 
" This heavy day has not all been in vain, 
For now, their vessels lost, the prey is sure. 
It profits but to hem Haupu close, 
And slowly wear the foe with constant strife 
Of little count, until he waste away 
With toil and weary watching. Build we now 
A moving wall of massive timbers joined, 
And, thus protected from their whizzing bolts, 
We'll slowly creep upon the foe, and hurl 
These savage robbers from the world. 

And this 
Advice was good. Then came the fierce horde 
down 

46 



Kaupeepee 

Into the plain, and well without the wall, 
Slung fast a murderous hail of smooth stone bolts 
Upon the pent-up foe. Yet were they not 
Unscathed, for in the fort, close set behind 
The massive rampart of piled rock, were lain 
The men who sling and ever find the mark. 



And thus were slowly wasted many suns. 
But all that time the timbered rampart grew, 
And slender trees were wrested from the hills, 
In length three men, like to Haupu's walls. 
And these were lashed together, side by side, 
In tens; until, at length, they lay across 
The narrow haft of rugged land. Then, to 
The top of every part, were fixed long poles, 
And, with a mighty heave, the rampart reared 
Its long extended bulk of quivering beams 
Aloft into the skies. 



And Uli saw, 
And knew the day of long impending doom: 
And brave Kaupeepee saw the time 
Of final fight was come. 



Meantime the throng 
Of second men withdrew them from the grip 
Of slowly closing walls. And day by day 
The threatening mass of wood moved silent on. 

47 



Kaopeepee 

And day by day the worn defenders slang 

A constant flight of stony bolts in vain — 

Howbeit a few found rest within the skull 

Of some too vaunting foe. And night by night 

The watchmen watched in vain; and even those 

Who left the wall to rest, could find no sleep; 

For time again the frenzied wild alarm 

Of false attack went shrieking through the night, 

Until the eyes of all were heavy, and 

The reins and minds were worn. 

And, in the mist 
Of middle dawn, the prey would gaze upon 
The lessened space, and mutely meet upon 
The shrinking ground the number of their days. 

But yet full many a frantic rush leaped from 
Haupu's wall, if so the moving threat 
Might be hewn through or burned. And many 

a time 
The narrow space was red with mingled blood, 
And strewn with swollen men, until the air 
Was one corruption, and the alien nigh 
Had passed away, but Uli goaded on. 

And in the fort was sickness from the air, 
And child and mother slowly died, and men 
Of prowess failed. Yet was the stubborn pride 
Of valor undismayed, although the fight 
Was to the death. 

48 



Kattpeepee 

And ever moved the wall 
Of doom, until, six spears without the fort, 
It paused. Thus, for three lengthened days, it 

stood 
With ominous and threatening frown, while from 
The summits of the opposing walls, each foe, 
Through those long days and nights, hurled 

vengeance and 
Defiance on the foe. And in the fort 
The worn defenders stood with short gripped club 
And waited for the end. 



At length there came 
A blackened moonless night, with howling wind 
And storm from over sea. And in the dark 
And roar of striving skies, behold! the wall 
Of wood is trembling down its sinuous length, 
And stealthy feels its way upon the foe! 



And smaller yet, and smaller, grows the space. 
And nearer comes the bulk, until, just as 
The east is paling, the two sloping walls 
Are wedded at the base. Then, with a heave 
Of many thousand backs beneath the props, 
That mighty bulwarked mass, with awful lurch, 
Swerves through the air and crashes with the roar 
As of the travail of the nether world, 
Upon the wall of rock. 

49 



Kaupeepee 

Up swarms the band 
Of aliens as the tide. And, first to gain, 
Were great Niheu and Kana — gold from crown 
To heel with sacred plumes that glitter in 
The blushing dawn with gleaming ruddy light. 
Upon their heads the graceful helms of red 
And gold, and from their massive shoulders flow 
Like cloaks of dazzling sheen. Their bronzed 

limbs 
Of dress and shield else bare, and in their hands 
The quivering ihe poised aloft. And thus 
They stand, two gods, against the glowing sky, 
And urging on their men, plunge downward to 
The fray. 

And, after them, there clomb a horde 
Of hungry aliens that out-match the foe 
As ten to one. And now the awful scream 
Of carnage roars apace, and in the dim 
Low light of dawn the day of death begins. 
There fights Moi — fierce warrior-prophet he — 
Who from the isle of far Wahoo has fled 
In haste to join Haupu's fate with his. 
To whom Kaupeepee gives the wall, 
While he himself upholds the second line, 
Far down the narrow land. 

With massive axe, 
Adorned with crimson helm and gleaming cloak 
Far thrown upon the wind, ranged brave Moi, 

50 



Kaupeepee 

And scattered death among the second men 
But Kana marked the awful work, and cleft 
A path of blood, and came at him enraged: 
" Vile traitor to thy land of birth! This day 
Thy cursed flesh shall feed the sea, and thy 
Rich spoils shall proudly tell on far Wahoo 
How a false rebel fell." 



So cried, and sprang, 
And sent a dreadful blow full at the foe. 
But, with deft art, Moi quick turned the club 
Which yet nigh found its mark, for, bearing down 
The guarding axe, it brake the shoulder blade. 
But, with a mighty swing, that awful axe 
Flew back, and curving swift aloft crashed through 
The golden helm. Wide fling the arms, down 

crook 
The massive knees, and with a heavy lurch 
Proud Kana sinks to earth. 

But fierce Niheu 
Had seen the hateful deed, and with a lunge 
Of his huge weight, he drave the crimsoned spear 
Deep through Moi's full breast. 

And now the wave 
Of second men has rolled above the few 
Who guard the wall. Yet leave they there a toll 
Of death full thrice the vanquished tale. 

5* 



Kaupeepee 

Then down 
The narrow haft, all red with war, they rush 
Upon the steadfast band that bars the way. 
And here Kaupeepee stands at bay, 
All red and golden in his sacred plumes, 
— A man of god like majesty — around 
Him throng his valiant men of proof, in close 
Array of spear and club and battle axe. 

Now flings the first wave of the howling horde 
Upon the little band, and straightway breaks 
And backward reels, as reels and breaks the wave 
Before Haupu's unmoved cliffs of rock. 
And wave flings after wave, and yet that band 
Of noble men holds firm and proudly shakes 
Them broken back. Till, cumbered with the heap 
Of slain and dying foes and their own dead, 
They slowly backward give and form anew. 

And yet the foe hurls madly on, until 
Once more the pressed defenders give. 
And all that fight Kaupeepee fought like to 
A god: his golden plumes all rent and smeared 

with gore. 
And every place he paused in fight, a heap 
Of broken corpses marked the stand. 

And yet 
The foe rolled dense, and ever dense rolled on, 

52 



Kawpeepee 

For number numberless. And yet the small 
Heroic band grew less and less, and gave 
Way stubbornly, until a score of men, 
All breathless, full of sweat and gaping wounds, 
Are brought to their last fight, beneath the gods 
That fiercely glare above the heiau wall. 



And, as they fight and slowly thin their ranks, 
They see the blazing of their homes, and hear 
The wild despair of wife and child. But still 
They hew and thrust, and yet hurl back the foe; 
And still Kaupeepee, wet with wounds, 
Slays on; till, borne by very , numbers, he 
And five red men are flung, all blood, within 
The portals of their house of gods. But now 
The wild devouring flames have seized the pile, 
And forth they spring upon the foe to death. 



Round close the savage aliens on their prey. 
But still those valiant ones strew death, until 
At length, that noble heart, Kaupeepee, 
Of the heroic stand survives alone 
Fast breathing out his crimson life from full 
A score of wounds. But yet he proudly shakes 
The howling aliens from his flanks, and brings 
Down many a foe. Till lo! his heaving side 
Is opened with a gash that nigh has cleaved 
The seat of life; and reeling with pure pain 
And failing light, his gleaming eye grows dull. 

53 



Kaupeepee 

But as he sways to fall, behold! a man 
All bright with golden plumes, stands from the 

throng 
Of battle — -Niheu — son of Hina he. 



Then swift uplifts the arm of that spent chief, 
Kaupeepee, poising in the air 
The deadly ihe for the last fierce thrust 
Of death. But even as the gleaming spear 
Is quivering e'er its flight, the dimming eye 
Sees in the manly form the noble grace 
Of her he loves. 



Down sinks the arm, down drops 
The spear, and as he droops he crieth: " Live! 
Not for thy sake but hers! " 



Thus fell the doom; 
And round Haupu's blackened walls of cliff 
There wails the moaning wind and troubled sea, 
And evermore has closed the desolation 
Of the place of death. 



54 



